Some chimneys are worth a second look even from the street, and this Chester stack is one of them. It carries two tall, shaped clay pots with crown-style tops, standing side by side on a red brick stack above a grey slate-style roof.
Our single photo was taken from the roof on a bright winter day, with the new mortar still pale with a mortar bucket and access ladder in the foreground.
What was done on the stack
The pale, fresh mortar is what stands out. The flaunching around both pots is new, sloping away from their bases to the edge of the stack, and the joints in the upper brickwork and under the oversailing course are noticeably lighter than the older brick below, which is what new pointing looks like before it weathers in.
At the base of the stack the grey flashing turns up the brickwork where it meets the roof, and a metal aerial pole is strapped to one side with brackets.
- New flaunching around two tall decorative pots
- Fresh pointing to the upper brick courses
- Flashing at the base where stack meets roof
- Aerial pole strapped to the side of the stack
Tall pots and why they need a firm base
Tall pots like these catch a lot of wind, so the flaunching around them is doing real work. When it cracks, a pot can start to move, and a loose pot on a stack is a hazard for anyone below as well as a route for water into the chimney. Rebuilding the flaunching gives the pots a solid, weatherproof collar again.
Pointing matters for the same reason. Chimney stacks stand exposed on every side, and once the mortar joints wash out, rain soaks into the brick and can show up indoors as damp patches on the chimney breast. You can read more about the different parts of a stack on our chimney repairs page, and there is another Chester flaunching job on our April 2026 chimney project.
Questions About This Kind of Job
Can old decorative chimney pots be kept?
Often, yes. If they are sound, we can keep period pots like these and bed them back into new flaunching, which keeps the look of the house.
Why is new pointing a different colour?
Fresh mortar is lighter while it cures and before the weather gets to it. It gradually tones down to sit closer to the older joints.
Will my TV aerial be affected by chimney work?
Aerials fixed to a stack can usually stay put while we work around them. If a bracket is loose or corroded, we will let you know.
How do I arrange a chimney inspection?
Contact us with your address and a note of what you have noticed, and we will come and look.
